The Middle of the END
by Nirgends101
Summary: Her world is torn. Natsu is E.N.D, and has beaten her to submission along with Gray. Now, it is up to her to make the choice; of saving her love from the demons with the One Magic, or die trying. Because for Lucy, backing out is not an option, as it is always more fun when they are together. NaLu with slight AU. (Beware of spoilers until chapter 413, or episode 259.


**And hello, here is my first Fairy Tail fanfiction! I was kinda inspired by one of my favorite Fairy Tail fanfictions of all time, that is, In The END by bluedragon03, so, great job, bluedragon03, for being a great writer. Please, guys, do check it out if you haven't read it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, and please don't read unless you've caught up to the Tartaros arc.**

* * *

 _XY61, 26 July, Thursday._

 _"Mama," asked the little girl innocently, "what is love?"_

 _The older woman was, unsurprisingly, caught off guard by the question. Overcoming her surprise, she scooped up her daughter in her slender arms and flicked her nose playfully. "Hmm? Where is this coming from, sweetie?"_

 _The girl twirled her hair. "Well, in fairy stories, the prince and princess always fall in love. I don't really understand what that means."_

 _Layla couldn't help but laugh at the child's curiosity. "Well, dear, love is...how to put it...a feeling one has," she explained. "When you love someone, it means that when you see that person, your heart feels all warm, and your body starts tingling. You feel that he, or she, is the most important person in the world. You would go to any lengths to protect that person. Anyway, you shall experience it."_

 _"When? When?" The child asked the question excitedly. Her face was radiant and shining, her cheeks pink and eyes brown and full of curiousness. "It isn't defined, dear," chortled the older woman. "You can love anyone, at any age. It can strike you at any time!"_

 _The girl moved away from the mother's lap, suddenly looking sad. "But, in some stories," she began hesitantly, "even the bad guys fall in love. Can you fall in love with a bad guy?"_

 _Once again, Layla was profoundly speechless by her child's precocity. "Yes, darling," she answered seriously. "If you think that bad guy is worth loving, then go on loving him. Some people, no matter how bad they are, are worth your love. If they don't give up on you, then you shouldn't give up on them. So don't worry child," she finished with a smile. "Love whomever you want to."_

 _The girl, child as she was, couldn't really understand what her mother was talking about. "Mama, am I worth loving?" she asked, holding small arms up expectantly._

 _Layla caught her child and held her high, savoring the look of delight on her face. "Lucy, no one is more worthy of love than you are."_

* * *

 _Exactly eleven years later_

Lucy coughed blood up, noise ringing in her ears and bruises decorating her body. She was strewn pathetically on the ground, red with blood and reeking of gore and internal human organs. She tried to pull herself up, but her arms were too weak, and she collapsed again.

E.N.D watched her impassively, standing not a meter away from her. "Give it up," he rasped, the voice deeper, crueler, infinitely more _evil_ than the man he was possessing. "Your organs are torn, and you are in a critical state. If I hit you with my magic once, you would be killed instantly. So stay still, beg me for your life, and I might grant you amnesty."

His pink hair was still intact, but red scales had covered the length and breadth of his body. His eyes glowed solid gold, his hands like talons, and his feet like a dragon's. Blood red bat-like wings sprouted from his back like the devil's himself, and lastly, black, twisted horns crowned his head. He looked terrifying, like a harbringer of death and sorrow.

But, Natsu was still there. Still _alive_. And she knew it.

"Y-you bastard," coughed Gray not far away, rising and slowly holding his blackened arm up. "I'll...kill you." His dark hand glowed with blue energy.

E.N.D snorted, and rushed forward, punching Gray so hard and fast that the mage sputtered and flew, blood darkening his abdomen. Juvia rushed at him, concern and horror lighting her pale visage.

"N-Natsu," choked Lucy, managing, with a Herculean effort, to stand up and face the man. "Y-you're, y-you're still i-in there. I k-know it." She coughed more red.

"My dear Lucy," said E.N.D, almost sounding polite yet mocking. "Natsu and I are the same person. He isn't _in_ me, oh no. He _is_ me."

Lucy heard, but didn't believe.

"My name," E.N.D explained slowly, "stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. I am more powerful than Zeref himself now. Who can stop me?"

His voice was laced with scorn, and despair nearly overwhelmed Lucy right then and there. But, her tired brain pieced the facts together. E.N.D was Natsu. Natsu was E.N.D. So, did that mean...?

"I've figured it out," she stated confidently. "You, a-and Natsu...have d-different personalities, r-right?"

The demon's face contorted in surprise. "Yes," he admitted finally, looking away to glare contemptuously at Gray groaning on the ground and Juvia leaning over him with tears in her eyes. "Natsu Dragneel and E.N.D...share the same body, but different mindsets."

He snapped his horned head towards her suddenly, features set in a sneer. "But what shall you do about it? My own mindset has taken over your boyfriend's own. I have control. _I_ do!" he roared.

Lucy spotted a blue, winged creature flying weakly towards her. Happy. The Exceed fluttered slowly and set himself down. "Lucy," he muttered. "What can we do? Natsu is...gone." He didn't cry. He looked too dead to cry.

Lucy stroked the cat's ears gently. "Happy, I have...a plan." She refused to elaborate, determined to reset Natsu's personality in his body. Natsu, the man she loved.

"Gray!" she shouted loudly, nearly spitting out more blood, but she choked it down. "Gray, please, attack now!"

The Ice Devil Slayer wasted no time. Fully recovered with Juvia's life-giving water, he sprinted over, his hand glowing fiercely. "Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!"

Huge chunks of ice swirled together, piecing up a long broadsword that looked deadly as hell. He pointed it at E.N.D, and the sword extended, a pointed pillar of glinting ice moving swiftly at the demon.

E.N.D leaped backward, avoiding the broadsword, and, looking bored, opened his mouth. "Curse: Fire Dragon's...Roar!"

A large wall of orange fire exploded from his mouth and hurtled at Gray, who just managed to block it with his sword. However, Lucy had been waiting for this moment; where E.N.D would be still and not moving. She flicked her whip out, and it lashed at his body, wrapping around him. The demon cursed loudly in surprise, straining to break free. But the whip did not yield.

"Gray," spluttered Lucy with the effort. "Now!"

"Gotcha!" he yelled back. "I've got you now," he yelled hatefully at E.N.D, "bastard! Ice Make..." his face screwed up in concentration, his body in the Maker Magic stance, "-Gungnir!"

 **(A.N: Yes, 'Gungnir' is a real word. It is the name of the Norse God Odin's spear.)**

Two massive halves of what looked like a spear erupted from the ground, either side of E.N.D, and suddenly slammed together, entombing him in the spearhead and raising him far above the earth. Instantly, swirls of red flames blanketed the weapon, and it melted, E.N.D leaping to the ground and tearing Lucy's so aptly named 'Fleuve d'Etoiles' whip apart. Shards of blue and gold fluttered to the ground, as did Lucy's confidence. With her prime melee weapon gone, she hardly stood a chance on her own.

Only one thing to do. She drew out her keys and picked the one who would most likely succeed in a hand-to-hand with the demon. "Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

Gold light spread, and the bespectacled spirit leaped into battle. He didn't speak, didn't flirt with her as he usually would have. His face was set in a scowl and his hands were glowing solid golden. "Lucy, I'll hold him off for a while!"

"Okay!" she shouted back, stumbling backwards and collapsing, panting for breath. E.N.D was easily sparring with Gray and Loke at the same time, making it look easy, even. Even with Loke using Regulus and Gray using a new spell called the 'Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Bow' to back him up with ranged attacks, the demon didn't falter, not once. He snatched Gray's arrows from the air like they were moving in thick oil, and he took Regulus with indifference. He was simply too strong, Lucy could see that. Nothing they could do.

 _'Oh, Natsu,'_ she thought, not despairingly, but sadly. _'I don't know how you must feel right now, fighting with your friends. It must hurt so much.'_

E.N.D laughed maniacally, clawing Loke's abdomen and sending him back to the spirit realm with that one hit, and fired a bolt of red flames at Gray's bow, snapping it in two. The Devil Slayer cursed loudly, and sank to the ground, putting his face in his hands.

"There, there," mocked E.N.D sadistically, walking towards the nearly-sobbing mage. "You'll get to join Daddy dear soon."

Gray looked up, his face contorted in rage. "Don't you _dare_ talk about my father, _asshole!_ Ice Devil's...RAAAAAAGE!"

Harsh sleet and ice bombarded E.N.D from all directions, but what surprised Lucy the most was that the hail was coming from Gray's mouth, like an ice version of the Fire Dragon's Roar. The demon looked almost impressed with this one, holding up his clawed hands to block it. Gray finished his spell, and crumpled once more, exhausted and drained.

While E.N.D...wasn't even breathing hard, though he was slightly bruised. Evidently impressed, he raised his arms leisurely to check his injuries. None too serious, yet...Lucy knew that the Ice Devil's Rage hadn't even been close to enough to critically wound E.N.D.

Lucy could think of no other alternative. "Open," she coughed, raising a silver key, "-Gate of the C-Cross, Crux." The brief sound of a wind chime, a silver glow, and the oldest spirit she knew of was floating concernedly over her. "Lucy, what should I do to help?"

"Old Crux," she gasped, "just...tell me how to destroy E.N.D. Tell me how I can restore Natsu." The name itself caused Lucy to break down entirely, giving small sobs while tear ran down her face. E.N.D was taking his own time in approaching Gray, who was lying haplessly on the floor like a pig for slaughter.

"Lucy, there is no other way," said Crux gravely, stroking his chin. "The One Magic. That is what will save Natsu. Go," he added gently. "You know what the One Magic is, Lucy. No one knows it better than you."

And she did know. From the vast repertoire of books held in the huge library at Fairy Tail, she had come to know; the One Magic is 'ever fleeting. No one possesses it without another; that is, one person couldn't possess the One Magic alone. It is extremely difficult to use in battle, but when you can use it, it was a deadly weapon.' From her chat with her mother eleven years ago, Lucy had connected the dots.

The One Magic was love.

One couldn't possess love without somebody else; love was all about giving, not receiving. When one goes to war, he would experience hate, anger, sorrow, but also love, as one couldn't go into war without caring for somebody else; friends, or family, or boyfriends and girlfriends. Lucy had a deep understanding of love, so the One Magic came naturally towards her.

Strength flowed into her, and she stood.

"Go, my child," said Crux gently. "May the spirits be with you."

Lucy nodded, and sent the old spirit back to the Celestial realm. She knew what to do. She started to walk, slowly but surely, towards where E.N.D was about to kill Gray.

"Natsu," she called. E.N.D turned, his smirk dissolving into an expression of rage.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you're a _pain in the ass_!" he howled, moving fast as lightning and shoving his fist deep in her gut and through her back, slathered in blood. She could hear Gray screaming in horror, Juvia gasping, all her other friends come up and witness the gory spectacle.

"Lu-chaaaan!"

"Oh no-!"

"Lucy-san, please hang on!"

"Lushie!~"

"Listen to them," muttered E.N.D, wiggling his fingers and sending new levels of pain skyrocketing through Lucy's body. "So pathetic, like worms who crawl uselessly in the dirt. Humans." He snorted derisively.

To his absolute astonishment, Lucy just smiled, somehow ignoring the pain and moving her hands up to cup his scaled face. "Natsu, you're in there, aren't you? You're _fighting_."

"Wh-what?" growled E.N.D in shock, pushing his hand deeper. "How are you-not dead?" His eyes flickered between gold to onyx, and the scales on his arms quivered.

"That's right," smiled Lucy encouragingly, "you're doing well, Natsu. _Very_ well."

"Natsu Dragneel...is dead," murmured E.N.D. "Your-your efforts are worth not-ahhh!" He hissed in pain, retracting his arm a little. His eyes turned onyx for five seconds, then back to gold. His scales started to withdraw.

"Very good, Natsu," whispered Lucy gently. Gripping the hand wedged in her abdomen tightly, she pulled him closer and grabbed his scarf.

"And of course, this, for good luck."

She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.

E.N.D froze in surprise, his other arm shaking. Lucy Heartfilia was kissing him, and not just any sort of chaste one. A _real_ one, he thought in wonderment as she deepened it by tilting her head slightly. He liked it. He wanted more. He wanted...

 _'Humans, Natsu,'_ he snorted inwardly. _'I will never understand them...'_

His eyes, glinting onyx once more, closed firmly. His face, no more covered by the cold, hard scales, was cupped lovingly in Lucy's hands. He gently removed his hand from her abdomen; his claw-free, scale-free, hand, and hugged her carefully. Finally his dragon-like appendages disappeared along with his horns and wings, and real legs came in place of them. He was Natsu once more.

Cauterizing the gaping wound in her gut as tenderly as he could, he picked her unconscious body up and walked to the shell-shocked crowd watching them.

"Come on, you guys," said Natsu flatly, stepping towards what was left of the guild hall where the giant purple crystal encasing Mavis Vermilion's body was waiting along with their grave master.

"I guess I owe you guys- especially Gray- an explanation."

* * *

 **Hi guys, this is one part of the complete story I am planning to make! It shall be a two-shot, yes, and in the next chapter, which will probably be released on Saturday-Sunday, get ready for some interesting explanations, from Natsu himself!**

 **Please leave a review or a favorite if you liked this story, and thank you for reading!**

 **-Nirgends101**


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